Our Worlds Collide
by Emono
Summary: Holmes has a dream of a man with a torch in his chest. But is it just a dream? Is he seeing himself in another dimension or time? How close are these two worlds? Close enough to matter to Holmes, and close enough to scare Tony Stark. H/S, Tony/Jude


**Explanation:  
>I kind of just threw you into this one. There's really only one thing unclear in the Iron Man world: Jude Breston, or actually just Jude Law's body with a new character inside. He's played by Jude Law for this fanfiction (and any other spin offs I do) and it Tony Stark's new assistant. Pepper takes over the company, right? Well, Tony may not need an assistant, but Iron Man does. There's an explanation in-story, but get ready for that.<strong>

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><p>Watson pushed at the door, "Holmes, old boy."<p>

The door jarred beneath his palm, something must have been blocking it. He pushed harder, frowning when he heard the clatter of a clay pot. He squeezed inside, a heavy sigh falling from his lips when he spotted the toppled plant and spray of soil all over the floor. A potted plant? In front of the door? Was this some kind of new alarm system for his friend's study? It wasn't a new one but is was certainly uncommon. The room itself was trashed. There were scraps of sheet music and files alike all about the floor, and here and there were strips of cloth spotted with char.

Great, fire. Well, at least he wasn't firing a gun this time.

The curtains were shut tight, the study cast in heavy shadow.

"Holmes!" Watson looked about for his friend, but instead found many empty bottles on one of the end tables. He started toward them, nearly tripping over a wet funnel on the way.

"God's blood, old cock, what did you make?" the doctor tried to keep his voice light even as a growing sense of dread bubbled in his stomach. He started going through the bottles, growing paler as he read the labels on them.

"Damn it, Sherlock" Watson slammed his cane on the table, knocking a few of the bottles off to clink on the floor "You've taken my stock again. This is meant for amputation, not casual drinking! Are you _trying_ to rot your liver!"

Watson shed his coats and hat on the nearest chair, rolling his sleeves up to the elbow and cuffing them there. He looked about, spotting a dark shape by the fire.

"Come now, Sherlock, I need to check you over" John started toward him "I swear, if your liver's swollen again, we're going straight to the hospital."

Watson knelt beside his friend, finding him in quite a shape. Holmes was staring rather intensely into the fire, sweat beading across his brow and slicking his dark curls. The buttons of his white shirt had been popped at the top, as if the heat had gotten to be too much for him. Within the flames of the hearth were all the answers, at least to the detective.

"Sherlock..." Watson wasn't sure how to start "Has something happened?"

"Watson, I've had the oddest dream" Holmes brought his violin bow up from his knees, though the instrument itself was positioned precariously on a stack of books across the room. He waved it by his face, yet he didn't flinch even as it brushed his eyelashes.

"I saw...the future" Holmes' head tilted, brow creasing for just a moment "Though more along the lines of the mulch-dimensional theory."

He put his chin in his hand, dropping his head down further to stare at his partner.

"Have you come across that particular theory, Jean?" Holmes' accent slipped a bit "Imaginez. Une personne sur mille univers. Il est étonnant."

"Yes, quite invigorating" Watson flipped open his pocket watch, two fingers going to his friend's neck "Now stay still for a moment."

"You can be so closed-minded, mon coeur" the detective scoffed, looking back toward the fire "To think there could be another me, another you, _somewhere_ out there."

"Hush, love" Holmes whispered, trying to keep the man's pulse beneath his fingers while his eyes stayed on the watch "A few seconds."

Holmes 'harumphed', watching his violin bow sway by his face once more.

"Maybe not so much a multidimensional self, but more a-" Holmes hissed when his counterpart pinched his neck to try and get him to shut up "Stop that. Honestly, Watson, I am trying to break new ground and all you can think of is my bloody pulse. It's incredibly selfish of you, Mother Hen."

"Your pulse is slow, I'm not surprised. Heaven know what else is wrong" Watson snapped his watch shut, dropping it back into his pocket "Open your shirt."

"Can I finish, hm?" the detective's tone was sarcastic, but he obeyed his partner and popped the rest of the buttons "If you wanted to start something in the middle of the day, you could at least let me finish my musings before you drag me to bed."

"I've never once dragged you anywhere" Watson pushed his partner back a little, running his fingers over the firm stomach in search of any swelling "Now, tell me about this dream."

"It was me, except-" Holmes hissed when his partner pressed hard on his liver "Except a little bigger. One of those muscled blokes. Cleaner, very well trimmed, and he wore the strangest clothing and there was this...this torch in his chest."

"A torch?" Watson moved around to the man's kidney's, relieved to find them in their normal state "You were on fire?"

"_He_ was not on fire" the detective tossed his bow away, scratching a hand through his hair with the other hand "It was a circle in his chest that was lit up. The light was blue. I can only think it to be a torch or some advanced form of electric bulb. It was...rather impressive, mon coeur."

"Your liver is a bit swollen and if your pulse is as slow as it can be without immediate danger" Watson was upset, but he tried not to let it show "I'm going to make you something rather clearing to get it all out of your system. I want you to take in _every_ drop and go straight to bed, do you understand?"

"Mm-hmm" Holmes rubbed at his forehead, feeling a migraine of sorts coming on. He slumped over his knees, a wave of nausea and tiredness coming over him. He tried to soothe the ache from his temples but failed. He opened his eyes, finding the fire still just as mesmerizing as it was a few minutes ago. He nodded along to his partner's voice, finding the annoyed timber in his lover's voice rather endearing. It was like music. Rich, scolding music...

Holmes got lost in the memory of his lover's lips against his ear, whispering things a bit more romantic.

"Are you even listening?" Watson nudged the man with his knee, hoping to get some kind of response "You're a bit old for this catatonic nonsense. Now get up and head up to bed. I'm in no mood to carry you, my knee has been acting up. Come now, Sherlock, I know you can..."

John watched his lover start to fall forehead, heading straight for the flames.

"Sherlock!" John dropped to the floor and wrapped his arms around his lover. He dragged him back from the flames, panicking when he felt the lick of heat across the back of his hands. He pulled his lover into his arms, grip tight across his chest.

"Sherlock, what's wrong?" Watson ran one hand through the man's hair, breathing a sigh of relief against a stubbled cheek "Can you hear me, love? You almost fell into the fire...God's blood, Sherlock, you almost..."

"Jean" Holmes murmured, lashes fluttering closed over dark eyes "Mon coeur, I-"

"I can't even tell if your temperature has gone up" Watson's hand was gentle on his forehead "You've been sitting next to this bloody fire for too long. I don't know why you insist on these antics. You're a grown man! You make me worry...you know I...about your health...best for you...you always..."

Watson's voice dipped and rose as he started drifting out of consciousness. He could barely hear him now, just a low tone in the back of his mind.

"... mon coeur..."

"Sherlock?"

"_Tony?"_

**xXxXxXx**

"_Sherlock?"_

"Tony?"

"_Can you hear me?"_

"Mon coeur?"

"Are you awake?"

"_Sherlock!"_

"What, Jean?" Tony startled awake, swiping at his wet chin with his forearm "I fell asleep for a second, I didn't mean...whoa."

Tony smacked his palm to his forehead, trying to force away the wave of dizziness that overcame him. That dream! It was so real, so vivid...he could still feel that man's (_Jean's_) lips against his neck. The heat of the fire, the rasp of the violin bow. He'd never even held a violin bow before!

"Finally."

Tony sat up, peeking over the back of the couch. Jude was shutting the fridge, a worried expression on his face. Damn, he felt like shit, but he still knew his boy was beautiful. Short, thick blonde hair that held some soft curl to it. Those bright blue eyes, that tan skin, that flexible body, and that accent...okay, he was feeling a it better from just looking at him. His super-sexy second assistant.

He figured that since Pepper was 'Tony Stark's' assistant, it was only fair that Iron Man get his own right hand man as well. So he had set out on a geek search, scouring everywhere for the most brilliant tech he could find. He needed someone to help JARVIS repair his suit, mediate with S.H.I.E.L.D., deal with Fury when he couldn't, and help him stay alive. Pepper was great with it, but she just hadn't been enough. It was hard enough running the company, but now she had two personas to deal with? She'd drawn the line, and it was up to Tony to find someone.

Then this beautiful man wandered into his office, claiming he'd met with Pepper earlier but lost his phone. One thing led to another, which led to drinks, which led to eye-sex, which eventually led to Tony reading Jude's resume in bed with said man naked and sprawled out on the sheets beside him.

And by God, his Jude was brilliant.

Jude brought the bottle over, coming up behind the billionaire.

"I was getting really worried" Jude handed him the water bottle, then two aspirin "Here, take this. I think you've caught something."

"Uh, thanks" Tony accepted them, but dropped the bottle and grasped his lover's hand when he saw the red mark across the back of it "Whoa, Jude...what happened? Is that a burn?"

"It's nothing" the blonde drew his hand back, flicking the other in the forehead "But if you must know, it's your fault."

Tony swallowed down the medicine quickly, "Did I sleep or did I black out? Because I don't remember you getting burned."

"Tony, you fell asleep by the fireplace" Jude gestured to the hearth beneath the big screen TV, one of the leather footrests set in front of it with purpose "You got out of bed saying you were cold, and I come out here twenty minutes later to find you sitting just there. I tried to get you to come back to bed, and when I touched you...bloody hell, Tony, you nearly fell into the fire!"

"Seriously?" Tony could see the worry on his lover's face, and it scared him "I just...toppled in?"

"Nearly" Jude put his hands on the superhero's shoulders, starting to rub "I caught you at the last second, and I tried to get you to wake up but you just whispered some French to me and fell asleep. I put you here on the couch and went to get some water...I wasn't sure if you'd wake up yet."

Jude leaned down, kissing the man on the cheek, "You scared me, Tony."

"Come here" Tony manhandled his protesting lover down onto the couch with him, nearly pulling him into his lap. He grabbed his face, forcing him to look at him.

"I'm sorry, Jude-Bug" Tony smiled when the other scowled at the nickname "I didn't mean to scare you. I had this really weird dream and...I dunno, I guess I was a little out of it."

"Don't call me that" Jude shoved out of his arms, opting to sit beside him "And I forgive you, you great oaf. I'm glad I came out here."

Tony leaned in for a kiss, but merely received a buss before his lover murmured, "I didn't know you knew French."

"I don't" Tony admitted, tilting his head to the side "JARVIS! Did you catch what I said earlier in French?"

"_Yes, Mr. Stark, I believe it was 'm__on coeur'_" JARVIS spouted back, giving a moment of pause before speaking up again "_Translation: My heart. Apparently you are a romantic when asleep, sir._"

"Cram it" Tony turned back to the other "Huh, that's weird...I've never heard that before. Mon coeur?"

"Your pronunciation is on point, I'm impressed" Jude reached up and touched the man's dark hair, a thoughtful crease to his brow "Who's John?"

"Who?" Tony leaned into the touch, enjoying it.

"You were calling out for a 'John' earlier. You called him 'Jean', actually" Jude looked unimpressed "You don't just make things up in your dreams, Tony. You've heard every word and seen every face in your dreams, no matter what. So...who's John?"

"I don't remember" Tony admitted, trying to soothe his lover's worry. His dream was fading with each second, he was losing more and more details as he spoke. He remembered pretty blue eyes and a stern tone, warm hands at his neck and across his stomach...he remembered a sigh on his cheek, worry and frustration in someone's tone.

"I bet I'm better in bed than him" Jude countered, obviously trying to get the billionaire's glassy gaze to fall back on him "He sounds incredibly boring."

"No one's quite as exciting as you" Tony promised, tilting his head and giving him a rather heated kiss. Jude sighed into it, glad to have his lover's attention back. But it was over too soon.

"Come on, it's time for bed" Tony grabbed the blonde's hand and dragged him to stand "For real this time. Lock the door so I can't get out."

"That's all I want" Jude laughed, grasped the man by the neck "To wake up for breakfast and to find you out here on fire."

"It's okay" Tony promised, smacking another kiss to his temple "I have a bot for that."

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><p><strong>Translations:<strong>

**Imaginez. Une personne sur mille univers. Il est étonnant = Imagine. One person across a million universes. It's astounding**

**BTW: Sorry if you were confused, but I've been wanting to write this for a while. I really like both these pairings, even if I kind of made up Jude Breston just to shake off those pesky Real Life SLASH rules that are on here. I really hope you like it. I'm thinking of doing a Tony/Jude first meet kind of ficlet, but I'm not sure if I'll continue this. This was completely inspired by LuvyshkaNeo on YouTube who did an awesome video of a crossover vid with Holmes/Watson leading into the future pairing of Tony Stark/Remy. It's really good, I suggest a look - the music is good too. Thanks for reading!**

**And for all my old fans who used to (and still) read my WWE fics, I really appreciate and love you guys for being so understanding about my loss of fics. You guys made my day, and I hope the frustration of all my unfinished fics drive you to write newer and better ones (and hopefully ones with less D/s in them, because I realize that got old for some of you really fast. But it was my favorite thing to write, and it always crept in there. Damn those kinky-bunnies.)**

**Love and Rockets, **

**Emono  
><strong>


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